Students trade trip for tsunami relief
By Mary Anderson
Staff Writer, The Courier-Tribune
TROY - A dozen young students at Wescare Christian School have decided
to forego their trip to Washington, D.C., and give the $500 in their fund
to the American Red Cross to help victims of the tsunami in Southeast Asia.
Wescare Christian School is a mission of First Wesleyan Church of Troy.
Ariel Thompson, 11, was the first to voice the idea that they give up
their trip and give the money to help those people who had lost everything.
Ariel said she was a little nervous to bring it up in their morning combined
Bible class. The prayer requests last Thursday morning included the victims
of the tsunami and someone had said they wished there was something they
could do.
"I was afraid they (her classmates) would think it was a silly idea,
that they would say we worked too hard for that money," Ariel said.
She was happy to be wrong. Her class unanimously supported the idea and
Ariel said her thought was, "Wow. They really do have feelings."
"I thought it was a good idea," said Grayson Palmer, 11.
The class sold candy, candles, notebooks and CDs to add to their fund.
They had written Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) who had arranged a tour of
the White House and the Library of Congress for them. Now they are composing
letters thanking Sen. Dole and explaining why they will not see her in Washington
in March.
Haydn Palmer, 12, said the thought had occurred to him, but he had not
planned to mention it to the class.
"We heard about the flood on the news, but I didn't think much about
it until I went to bed that night and thought how horrible that was and
they might need some money," Haydn said.
Teacher Jarod Cruthis and assistant Rhonda Hicks said they were very
proud of their students. "Bright kids with good hearts" is how
Cruthis described his class of six girls and five boys.
In a class meeting on Monday, the fifth and sixth graders and one eighth
grader all talked about the needs of the people who had lost everything.
What would their $500 buy? The answers came quickly: Food, clean water,
clothes and shelter.
Nancy Norton from the American Red Cross will accept their check on Tuesday
morning and has promised to update them periodically on the relief effort.
The class, aware that not all charities are reliable, chose the Red Cross,
Cruthis said. He said he and Hicks have stood back and let the students
make the decisions. They are so young, he mused, and yet they feel a responsibility
to help their fellow man. Their generosity is genuine.
"It (the tsunami) was a really bad thing. It happened really fast
and all those people died," said 10-year-old Sharon Sides.
"We really didn't know what a tsunami was, but we knew they needed
money more than we did," added Abigail Sheffield, 11. She has been
so touched by poverty in Africa, her plans after college are to go to Ethiopia
and start an orphanage.
History and math are their favorite subjects. In a quick survey of future
careers, the medical and mission fields appeal to most of them, with some
of the boys still undecided between farmer and Navy Seal and preacher or
builder.
Brooke Bowles, the 8th grader, plans to be a pediatrician. Jessica Partridge
and two others said veterinarian. Brooke and Jessica said they thought about
Jesus teaching us to do unto others as we would have them to do unto us.
God said that we are to love our neighbors.
"It's nice to put other people before yourself sometimes,"
said Jessica Davis, also 11.
Zachary Moore, 12, said, "We are praying that our money will multiply
and help a lot of people. We had talked earlier this year about the difference
between wants and needs."
Kenny Jarrell, 12, took up that thought.
"We have everything we need. The trip was an extra. We can help
these people get some things they need," Kenny said.
Caleb Ray, 10, added that a class trip was a privilege, not a need.
"We have everything here. We are sending our money to help with
needs," Caleb said.
Kenny and Jessica Partridge have been to the nation's capital before,
but when they were much younger. All of them knew they would have other
opportunities in their lifetimes to go to Washington.
Their parents, who had been partners in the fund-raisers, are supportive
of their decision.
It had not occurred to the kids that they were making a sacrifice until
some parents mentioned the word. They thought it was just the right thing
to do.
"My grandpa said 'praise the Lord' and he said we had made a good
sacrifice," said Kenny Jarrell.
Wescare Christian School at First Wesleyan Church on N.C. 134 added the
sixth grade to the curriculum this year. Principal Phil Phillips has been
authorized by the board of directors to add the high school grades and the
school has applied for accreditation.
Copyright 2002, Stephens Media Group
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